The relationship between participation in Aboriginal cultural activities/languages and educational achievement for Native Canadians : an analysis of the 1991 Aboriginal Peoples Survey

Abstract:

This research examined the associations between cultural retention, various aspects of identity formation, and mobility on levels of academic achievement of Canadian Aboriginal people. A secondary analysis of a sample of 636 respondents to the 1991 Aboriginal Peoples Survey was conducted. The variables examined included: participation in cultural activities and Native language(s), perception of parental and family support, having Aboriginal teachers, Aboriginal language(s) being used in the classroom, Aboriginal language facility, liking what was taught in school about Native people and history, and number of schools attended. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses indicated significant relationships between educational attainment and Aboriginal language facility, liking what was taught about Aboriginal people in elementary school, and number of high schools attended. Recommendations for future research include the use of more precise data on the variables of interest in order to confidently predict the factors which affect educational achievement among Canada's Aboriginal people.